1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clip, and more particularly to a clip for conductively attaching a heat sink to a top surface of a CPU while can be easily manipulated for assembly or disassembly of the heat sink.
2. Description of Prior Art
As heat generating components in a computer, such as CPUs and chips, contain many circuitry and operate at high speeds, greater amounts of heat are generated, which must be dissipated for reliable operation. A heat sink made from a heat conductive material, such as aluminum, is commonly used to dissipate the heat generated by a heat generating component. The heat sink is retained in direct contact with the heat generating component to dissipate the heat into the surrounding environment.
The heat sink is usually attached to a heat generating component by a clip. A conventional clip 110 integrally made from metal is shown in FIG. 5. The clip 110 includes a first end portion 112 with a first aperture 113 defined therein, an opposite second end portion 118 with a second aperture 117 defined therein, and a curved spring portion 114 interconnecting the first and the second end portions 112 and 118. The first and the second apertures 113 and 117 are adapted for respectively receiving a first and a second catches projecting from opposite ends of a socket (not shown) on which a CPU (not shown) is electrically mounted. The spring portion 114 is curved toward a base plate of a heat sink (not shown) and is partially flattened to abut against the base plate of the heat sink thereby resiliently retaining the heat sink in intimate contact with a top surface of the CPU which is coupled to the socket. The second end portion 118 of the clip 110 further includes an operation section 116 upwardly and horizontally extending therefrom toward the first end portion 112.
In assembly, since only one operation section 116 is provided for the clip 110, an auxiliary tool is required to engage the first aperture 113 with the first catch of the socket. The operation section 116 is then pressed to engage the second aperture 117 with the second catch of the socket. Alternatively, the clip 110 can be attached to the socket using two hands. However, the assembly operation for this clip 110 is inconvenient and laborious. The procedure for unlocking the clip 110 from the socket meets the similar problems.
Another conventional clip 120 is shown in FIG. 6. The clip 120 includes a spring member 130 and an operation member 140, which are separately manufactured and assembled together later on. The spring member 130 comprises a downwardly extending first latching portion 132 with a first aperture 133 defined therein, an intermediate curved spring portion 134, and a bifurcated end portion 136 for connecting with the operation member 140. The operation member 140 comprises a second latching portion 142 with a second aperture 143 defined therein, a slot 144 for engaging with the bifurcated end portion 136 of the spring member 130, and an squeezing portion 146 extending toward the spring member 130.
Since the spring member 130 and the operation member 140 are separately manufactured, assembly and disassembly of the clip 120 to and from a socket (not shown) are facilitated. However, the retention force of the clip 120 is insufficient to firmly retain a heat sink (not shown) on a CPU (not shown) thereby adversely affecting the heat dissipating performance of the heat sink. In addition, the second aperture 143 of the operation member 140 may disengage from a corresponding catch (not shown) of the socket, and the bifurcated end portion 136 of the spring member 130 has a tendency to break away from the slot 144 of the operation member 140 under shock or vibration.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,602,719, 5,600,540, Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 85211135 and 85214941 disclose other conventional clips with the similar problems to those described above.
The present invention is directed at solving the aforesaid problems by providing a clip for facilitating assembly and disassembly to and from a socket while providing sufficient retention force between a heat sink and a CPU.